What if you already have a master key that is used by a certificate aimed for another database (dbA) on the instance you're moving the dbB?

Just for clarification.

I think you should drop the dbA certificate (backup before) using the old master service key, then drop the master key and recreate with another password (same as for dbB certificate), and then create the new certificate from the cert and key files you moved on the new instance, using the new master key?

When enabling TDE, you should immediately back up the certificate and the private key associated with the certificate. If the certificate ever becomes unavailable or if you must restore or attach the database on another server, you must have backups of both the certificate and the private key or you will not be able to open the database. The encrypting certificate or asymmetric should be retained even if TDE is no longer enabled on the database. Even though the database is not encrypted, the database encryption key may be retained in the database and may need to be accessed for some operations. A certificate that has exceeded its expiration date can still be used to encrypt and decrypt data with TDE.

When enabling TDE, you should immediately back up the certificate and the private key associated with the certificate. If the certificate ever becomes unavailable or if you must restore or attach the database on another server, you must have backups of both the certificate and the private key or you will not be able to open the database. The encrypting certificate or asymmetric should be retained even if TDE is no longer enabled on the database. Even though the database is not encrypted, the database encryption key may be retained in the database and may need to be accessed for some operations. A certificate that has exceeded its expiration date can still be used to encrypt and decrypt data with TDE.

Thanks,Tom

No, this section says you need to back up the certificate and it's private key. The DEK is stored within the db and forms part of it's backup.

Good question, Steve, thanks

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